


Understanding Silence

by Kookykrumbs



Series: Fate Binds Us - Missing Scenes [5]
Category: Terminator (Movies), Terminator - All Media Types, Terminator Dark Fate, Terminator: Dark Fate
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, Declarations Of Love, F/F, First Time, Lesbian Sex
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-09
Updated: 2020-02-09
Packaged: 2021-02-27 21:40:27
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,293
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22622680
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kookykrumbs/pseuds/Kookykrumbs
Summary: Grace is at a complete loss as to what's wrong with Dani.  Dani does her best to distance herself from Grace.  Can these two overcome all their misunderstandings to finally come together?  This fic is a direct sequel to my fic, Distance of Misunderstanding.
Relationships: Grace Harper & Dani Ramos, Grace Harper/Dani Ramos
Series: Fate Binds Us - Missing Scenes [5]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1608526
Comments: 28
Kudos: 129





	Understanding Silence

_“People who do not understand your silence will never understand your words.” – Unknown_

****

**Author’s Notes:** This fic starts mere moments before the final scene in my last installment [Distance of Misunderstanding](https://archiveofourown.org/works/22583419). **And yes, you do need to read that fic to understand this one**. I hope you enjoy this and that it’s not a letdown after the cliff-hanger I left you guys on lol. Also, this fic isn’t like my others that are rated G or T. This one is rated E for strong language and sexual situations. 

** Understanding Silence **

Grace had a pretty productive morning assisting Major Ramirez with training several new members of the Airborne Corps on operating the newest Dragonfly design. She smiled to herself thinking how much she used to loathe Major Ramirez who had been her reporting officer during her two-year training. But now, she had nothing but the utmost respect for the man.

Grace made her way to the change room to get out of her uniform, excited to get back and meet Dani for lunch. The two of them had such a great time the day before. It was such a letdown that Dani had to be asked to work that morning. But the day was young, and Grace was looking forward to spending the rest of it with Dani. 

She was a bit nervous because she had made a decision the night before, as Dani fell asleep on her lap, that she would tell Dani how she felt. She had looked at Dani sleeping peacefully and realized that she wanted to have moments like that for the rest of her life. If Dani didn’t feel the same way she did, then maybe she could change her mind. After all, Dani obviously really enjoyed spending time with her. She never laughed or smiled with anyone else the way she did with Grace. That had to count for something.

And if Dani did in fact lose someone before she met Grace, then she promised herself that she’d make Dani happy again. Making Dani happy would be her life’s mission. Satisfied with her decision, Grace got out of her uniform and hopped in the shower. She could have showered in their quarters, but she didn’t want to be sweaty and dirty when she met Dani for lunch.

Toweling her hair dry, she heard footsteps come up behind her. Grace whipped around covering herself.

“Marcella! God, you startled me,” Grace said to her friend.

“I must say, you’re a sight for sore eyes,” Marcella said, a twinkle in her green eyes.

“Aren’t you a little young for cataracts?” Grace said, wryly. 

Marcella gave a laugh that came across to Grace just slightly forced. “Well, no one can ever accuse you of being conceited. Anyway, Major Ramirez mentioned you’re done for the day. Why don’t we go back to my place? Hang around a bit.”

“Thanks, Marce,” Grace said as she quickly made her way behind the shower curtain and put on some clothes. “But I was just going to go home. I think the commander left me something to eat there.”

Marcella scoffed. “I’m sure freeze-dried biscuits and tasteless oats won’t go bad.”

“And what… you’re going to serve me steak frites?” Grace asked, sardonically.

Marcella giggled. “Of course not. I have the same bland food everyone does, but at least my company’s a little more exciting.”

“Not really,” Grace mumbled under her breath.

Grace, having put her clothes on, stepped out of the shower. She was annoyed that she had felt compelled to change into her clothes in the shower which left the bottom of her pants slightly soaked. But she just wasn’t comfortable with Marcella seeing her naked, despite the fact that they’d all showered together when they were in training before. But since Marcella had been not-so-subtly hitting on her the last little while, she just didn’t want to give her the wrong idea.

“Well? Let’s go,” Marcella said, tapping her foot impatiently.

“Maybe another time,” Grace said. “I’m not going to bail on Da… errr… the commander.”

“Oh, come on,” Marcella said, approaching her and caressing her back.

Grace turned around definitely feeling uncomfortable. She backed up a step and found herself leaned against the wall. 

“Marce, what are you doing?” Grace asked.

“Making the first move, what does it look like?” Marcella said, leaning into her personal space.

“I think you’ve got the wrong idea,” Grace said, trying to wiggle away.

“I’m sure I’ve got the right idea,” Marcella whispered leaning over, her lips practically touching Grace’s ear.

Before Grace could say anything, her friend boldly wrapped her arms around her and kissed her passionately on the lips. Grace froze for a moment taken completely aback. When she realized what just happened, she firmly pushed Marcella off her. If there was one thing Grace didn’t like, it was being taken by surprise. And if there’s one thing she disliked even more, it was having her personal space invaded by people not named Dani.

“I’m sorry, Marce. I’m not playing hard to get... really. I’m just not interested. Please don’t ever do that again,” Grace said, moving away.

Marcella frowned. “I don’t understand. I know you’re not into men. Do you deny that?”

“It’s not about my preference. I’m just not interested in a relationship,” Grace said, quickly putting on her shoes.

“What the fuck, Grace?! You’re twenty-four, why the hell are you being such a prude?! I mean, fine, you don’t want a relationship, then cool. But how about just some good ol’ sex?”

“Not interested,” Grace said, picking up her bag and making her way to the door.

But Marcella blocked her way.

“What is wrong with you, Grace? You never hook up with anyone – men or women! Are you like, religious or something?”

Grace just gave her friend – or more likely soon to be former friend – a wry look.

But Marcella wasn't done with her. “You spend almost all your free time with the commander. Is something going on between you two?”

“What?! No!”

“But you want there to be.”  
  


“I…. No. Look, it’s none of your business, Marcella. And it’s beneath me to even acknowledge it,” Grace said, angrily walking out and leaving Marcella standing alone in the change room.

Grace walked the ten minutes back to the section of the base that housed the quarters. The walk cooled her temper quite a bit. Looking back, she wasn’t terribly mad at Marcella. She was after all, just being her incredibly forward self. And she supposed it was flattering that she could turn a gorgeous woman’s head. But there was only one woman she wanted to notice her, and she wasn’t a redhead. 

Grace opened the door to her and Dani’s quarters expecting Dani to be there waiting for her, but she found she was all alone. Grace just shrugged and decided to start getting the food ready. No doubt Dani’s meeting went longer than expected and she’d probably be incredibly hungry when it was done. Grace dug around the cabinet to see what they had to eat.

With the scarcity of meat, sugar and flour after Judgment Day, eating was never much fun. It was who you shared your meals with that made it worthwhile. But both Grace and Dani often tried to make something decent when time permitted. In front of Grace was a can of spam, a can of vienna sausages, a can of tomato soup, some dried mashed potatoes and a box of oats. 

Well, beggars couldn’t be choosers. Grace grabbed the spam and then proceeded to make some economy oat muffins. By “economy” it meant that it was butterless, hence quite dry and flavorless. Oh well, at least obesity wasn’t one of their problems in this post-apocalyptic world. It didn’t take long for Grace to get everything ready – less than half an hour in fact.

Grace proudly looked at the table she’d just set. Now, all she needed was Dani. Grace looked up at the clock again and began to wonder what was taking so long. Surely that meeting would have ended by then. Was there an emergency that needed Dani’s attention? Grace frowned. Dani needed the rest. The last thing she needed was more stress and work.

Another hour passed and Grace debated whether or not to go search for Dani back at the main base. She took a few quick bites just to tide her hunger over. She looked at the clock again and decided she’d go back to the base just to see if everything was okay. She went back and searched everywhere. Dani was nowhere to be found. She asked a couple of the senior officers who attended the morning planning session with Dani if they might know where she was. They all said the same thing, which was that as far as they knew, Dani took the rest of the day off.

There were no missions that were greenlit that day and so Dani would not have gone far. But where in the world was she? Grace was very worried. It wasn’t like Dani not to let Grace know her whereabouts. With nowhere else left to look, Grace had no choice but to go back home and hope Dani would come back soon. But Grace came back to a still empty quarters.

To keep herself busy and her mind off her worries, Grace began cleaning the left-over food from the afternoon. She then did some random cleaning. She worked out a bit, did some push-ups, sit-ups and some planks. She then tried reading through the newest flight training manuals for the various aircrafts she would need to familiarize herself with, but it was no use. She was far too worried about Dani. She looked at the clock and it was a quarter past eleven in the evening. Grace was about to grab her jacket and check the main base one more time for Dani when the door to their quarters opened.

“Oh my god, Dani! Where have you been? I was worried sick about you!” Grace said.

Dani looked so deep in thought for a moment that it took her a second to look at Grace. Something was definitely wrong. Dani’s eyes looked tired and slightly red. Her posture was hunched, and she just had this defeated look about her. She obviously did not have a good day.

“Hi Grace,” Dani said, barely looking at her.

Grace expected her to say more, at least answer her question, but Dani just walked past her and into her room. What the hell? She’d seen Dani have bad days before, but she’d never just ignored Grace. If anything, Dani would use her as a sounding board to air her frustrations.

Needing to understand why she’d just spent the entire day going crazy with worry, Grace got up and followed Dani. She was acting so unlike her usual self. She had very good coping mechanisms – one didn’t become the leader of an entire human resistance by being poor under pressure. If something was bothering Dani, then it had to be big. Grace knocked on Dani’s room. A second later, she heard, “Come in.”

Grace slowly walked inside. She saw Dani sitting on the edge of her bed.

“Dani, what happened? When you didn’t show up for lunch, I went back to the base to see what kept you, but both Major Holland and Carter told me you were finished for the day. Where have you been?”

“Sorry, I had things to take care of. I didn’t mean to worry you.”

“What things? You couldn’t have sent someone to let me know you were okay? Did something happen?”

“No, no…. Nothing I shouldn’t have expected…. Everything is fine.”

“What did you have to take care of?” Grace asked.

“I had planned on doing something, then something happened that I didn’t anticipate, so I had to re-evaluate… everything,” Dani said.

“Did one of your planned missions fall through?” Grace asked.

Dani shrugged. “I guess you could say that.”

“Do you want to talk about it? You always feel better after we talk,” Grace offered.

The more she spoke to Dani, the more worried she became. Dani had this monotone, disengaged voice. As if speaking to Grace at the moment was taking up more energy than she had left. If there was one thing Dani never was, it was monotone. Grace felt like there was an invisible wall between them suddenly and she had no idea what put it there.

“I’m sorry, Grace, I’m just so tired right now. Let’s talk tomorrow instead. I think I’d just like to rest.”

“Okay, sure. Let me go grab our book so I can read to you. You always fall asleep better that way anyway,” Grace said, trying to inject some cheer in her voice.

“Maybe another time, Grace. I have a bit of a headache. If you don’t mind, I just want to be alone,” Dani said, effectively dismissing her.

“Oh, okay…” Grace said, getting up to leave.

She looked back at Dani when she reached the door, but Dani just continued to look down at her hands. Grace gently shut the door behind her and walked over to the couch and sat down. She felt this ache in her heart that she couldn’t understand. In the almost decade that she’d known Dani, she’d never been dismissed. Dani had never asked to be alone from her ever.

Was it something she did? But she hadn’t seen Dani since that morning when everything was fine and they’d both been looking forward to having lunch together. Maybe Dani did just have a really bad day. She couldn’t imagine the pressure and responsibilities that Dani carried on her tiny shoulders on a daily basis. Perhaps it just got to her. Grace decided she’d get Dani to open up in the morning when she was feeling better.

**The next day**

Grace got up extra early and started getting food ready. Dani usually didn’t wake up for another half hour which gave her plenty of time. If Grace was being honest with herself, she hadn’t slept well the night before, which made getting up early quite easy. Her last interaction with Dani still weighed heavily on her mind. She loved Dani so much and she just wanted to fix everything for her, even though she knew she couldn’t. 

But she could at least make things easier for her by making her food, and making sure the place was tidied up. She could be an ear for Dani and make whatever her burdens were just a little lighter. She just hoped that Dani would be a little more open this morning than she had been the night before.

Grace looked up at the clock and Dani still hadn’t come out of her room. Was she sleeping in? Grace decided not to wake her. She probably needed the rest. But it wasn’t like Dani to sleep in. She had her regular routine in the morning which she almost never deviated from whether she had a day off or not. Grace covered the food on the table so it wouldn’t get cold too quickly. She went into her own room and got changed for the day. 

Grace looked at the clock again. She and Dani would be late if they didn’t start walking to the base in twenty minutes. She gently knocked on Dani’s door. No answer. She knocked a little louder. Still no answer. Grace turned the knob and peeked in. The room was empty. The bed was made looking as if no one had ever even slept there. Grace went back out and looked for Dani’s shoes. They were missing.

Had Dani got up earlier than she did and left for the base? But they always walked together to work. Grace couldn’t help the hurt feelings overtaking her. She convinced herself that an emergency probably came up and Dani just didn’t want to wake her. Forgetting the food on the table, Grace put on her own shoes, grabbed her jacket and left.

**Later that day**

Grace didn’t have time to look for Dani upon arriving at the base that morning. She had some simulator training she had to facilitate with some of the new recruits. She then test-flew one of the new Dragonfly models then had to write up a report on it. It had been a busy morning and she was starving, only now realizing she actually hadn’t had anything to eat all day. She made her way to the mess hall to grab a bite to eat when she heard a familiar voice.

She looked up and saw Dani speaking to Major Ramirez. Grace overheard snippets like “time is of the essence,” and “this is delicate,” and “I’ll be leading this operation.” Dani seemed to be really engrossed in her conversation and it looked like it wasn’t about to end any time soon. Grace purposely walked past them, nodded and smiled at Dani. Dani politely smiled back, but her smile didn’t reach her eyes like they normally did. She just quickly turned back to the major.

Grace was at a complete loss. Why was Dani all of a sudden so distant? Was it something Grace said or did? But Dani was never the type to not talk about things. Dani loved to talk, that’s one of the things that made her Dani. So, what was it? There was definitely something wrong. Grace decided she was going to get to the bottom of it. She was going to attend her last meeting of the day with some of the engineers she was test-piloting for, then she’d get Dani to spill it.

Grace went through the last part of her workday mechanically. She went through the motions all the while watching the clock for when she’d finally be off. When she was finally dismissed, she headed straight to Dani’s office. 

She got there only to find it empty. Great! Trying to get a hold of Dani the last day or so was like trying to hold water in your hands. Grace walked out of the office only to bump into Major Carter. 

“Lieutenant, good to see you. How are things?” Major Carter asked.

Despite her frustrations, Grace forced herself to smile at Amanda Carter. She was one of Grace’s favorite higher-ranking officers. She was incredibly smart, but also very kind and compassionate. She had short blonde hair and was quite tall, close to Grace’s own height. If she had to guess, she'd say the major was in her early forties. 

“Very good, thank you, Major. I was just looking for the commander. You haven’t by chance seen her?” Grace asked.

“She just left a couple of hours ago with Major Ramirez and a small squad from the Defense Corps. They took a chopper out over Bellevue. Some kind of scouting mission. I’m afraid I don’t have the details.”

“Bellevue? Legion isn’t very active in Nebraska,” Grace said.

“Yeah, I also wondered what the significance of the location was. But hey, the commander is the commander for a reason. I’m sure it’s very important,” Major Carter said, smiling.

“Thanks. Do you by chance know when they’ll be back?” Grace asked.

“I’m surprised the commander didn’t let you know she’d be leaving.”

Grace was equally surprised but didn’t want to appear so. 

“She’s been so busy lately, we’re like passing ships in the night,” Grace said.

“Oh, tell me about it, the commander never seems to rest,” Major Carter said. “Anyway, Major Ramirez and I chatted before they took off, he mentioned they’d be back in a couple of days.”

“Oh, I see. Thank you, Major,” Grace said.

Grace politely took her leave and headed back home. When she got there, she threw her jacket on the floor, and dropped to the couch in frustration. Dani had never before left for a mission and not told her. She didn’t even bother to leave a note. It was so unlike Dani. Grace ran a hand through her hair, at a complete loss. With nothing left to do, she changed out of her uniform and decided to call it a day.

**Meanwhile**

Dani sat in the cockpit of the chopper as they made their way over North Platte on their way to Bellevue. If Dani hadn’t been so heartbroken over seeing Grace in Lieutenant Marcella O’Neal’s arms, she would have picked Grace as her pilot. The two of them could have been alone in the cockpit enjoying each other’s company. But instead, Dani found herself alone with Lieutenant Gomez. The rest of the squad was in the back of the chopper.

Dani still couldn’t get the image out of her mind of Grace and Lieutenant O'Neal in each other's embrace. It was practically haunting her. But what had she expected? Grace was a young, red-blooded woman. She was in the prime of her life. Of course she’d be looking for relationships, or at the very least hook-ups. Had Dani expected her to wait until their age gap didn’t seem so prominent? Or was that Dani’s own ego that made her assume Grace would even be interested in an aging commander like her?

As much as she struggled more and more to see the difference between the Grace she’d lost and the Grace with her now, she still often forgot that circumstances were very different compared to 2020. She was no longer the younger one. It was in fact the opposite. It was only natural that Grace would be drawn to an attractive young woman like Lieutenant O’Neal. And Dani had always known that Grace wasn’t into men. She’d only harbored the hope that she was more her type. The Grace who died in her arms had seemed attracted to her. Sadly, they never had the opportunity to explore what could have been. And Dani was no longer the young, fresh-faced, optimistic, scar-less beauty back then. Her stock had certainly fallen since.

Dani sighed. She loved Grace. She felt bad leaving her looking so confused and hurt. She knew that she was acting out of character. Grace knew her well enough to know that something was wrong. Dani would just have to live with never telling Grace how she felt about her. She wouldn’t stand in the way between her and whoever she wanted to be with. Anyway, wasn’t loving someone meant you wanted them to be happy even if it meant your own happiness had to be sacrificed? 

Dani decided she would support Grace in whatever she wanted to do with her life. She would shove her heartbreak aside and just be the friend Grace needed. And the first thing she needed to do was give Grace space. How in the world was she going to pursue her personal life with Dani as her roommate? And more than that, Dani had to be honest with herself. She wasn’t going to hang around and watch Grace be with someone else. She once had to have an emergency operation to get her appendix out without any anesthesia. That had been excruciating. Yet she knew that watching Grace love another would be a thousand times more agonizing. Feeling mentally exhausted, Dani tried pushing thoughts of Grace out of her head and focused on the task at hand.

**Two days later**

Grace slowly maneuvered the Dragonfly she was piloting onto the base's tarmac. Satisfied with the test-run, Grace shut off the aircraft's engines. She quickly hopped out and told her co-pilot she’d take care of the post-flight check. He was more than happy to take her up on her offer and went on his way. Grace was ticking things off on her clipboard when she saw a Sikorsky Seahawk make a landing a few hundred yards from her. She couldn’t be sure, but she had a feeling that Dani was on that chopper. 

Her first instinct was to run over and greet Dani. But she had no actual business reason to do that, so, remaining professional, Grace decided to give Dani an hour or so to disembark and go over post-op reports. Then she’d go and see her. Satisfied with her plan, Grace quickly finished off the rest of the post-flight check and made her way back to the base.

Just under two hours later, Grace knocked on Dani’s office door.

“Come in,” Dani said.

Grace stepped inside tentatively.

“Hi,” Grace said, a bit awkwardly.

Dani looked up and gave Grace a tired smile, but at least it looked considerably more welcoming than the last one she received. She took a moment to observe Dani, and much to Grace’s relief, she seemed closer to her normal self than she did before she'd left.

“Hey Grace, what brings you by?” Dani asked.

_What brings you by?!_ Grace couldn’t help but stutter her answer at Dani’s question. “You... you... I mean… you… left without telling me. And you were barely talking to me the day before that, and you've been so distant, I didn't know what to think.”

“Oh, Grace, I’m so sorry. I know I haven’t been acting like myself, but I just had a lot of things going on,” Dani said.

“Why won’t you talk to me about them?” Grace asked, knowing she did a poor job of hiding the hurt in her voice.

“I would… it’s just that, they no longer matter. Everything is fine now,” Dani said, walking up to Grace and taking her hands in her own.

“You’re sure?” Grace said, just reveling in being close to Dani again. 

“I just had a lot on my plate and things weren’t going right for me…. I just fell into a bit of self-pity,” Dani said.

“I really wish you’d talk to me,” Grace insisted.

“Oh, it’s not interesting. Really, you’d just be bored. I’d rather hear what you’ve been up to,” Dani said.

“Nothing you say is ever boring to me, Dani,” Grace said, trying hard to remember when the last time Dani was this reticent with her. 

Before Dani had a chance to respond, there was a knock on the door. 

  
“Commander, the quarters you asked for is ready,” one of Dani’s personnel said. 

Grace figured Dani was in the middle of the frustrating task of finding quarters for more higher-level officers. Space and privacy were often in short supply at their base. She decided to let Dani get back to work. At least she seemed a little more like herself. They could talk more over dinner that night.

“I’ll leave you to take care of that, Dani. I’ll see you tonight?”

“Sure,” Dani said, smiling.

Grace breathed a sigh of relief as her workday ended. She did a lot of hand-to-hand combat later that day with some of the young cadets. She still had to finish some reports afterwards on the testing of the new aircrafts at their base. But despite feeling a bit sore from the combat training session, she had a jump to her step as she was excited to spend time with Dani that evening. She decided she’d danced around her feelings for Dani for too long. She’d tell Dani tonight, and let the chips fall where they may.

She walked into their quarters and found the main room empty. But she heard some rustling coming from Dani’s room. 

“Dani? You in your room?” Grace asked.

“Si, I’ll be out in a minute,” Dani said.

Grace, not wanting to wait to see Dani any longer took off her jacket and went to Dani’s room. She saw Dani on her knees, taping a box closed. Upon closer observation, there were several boxes in the room with Dani’s clothes and personal items strewn all over the bed. If she didn’t know any better, it looked like Dani was packing to leave.

“What’s all this?” Grace asked.

“Oh, hey Grace,” Dani said, looking up from what she was doing. “Just packing some things.”

“Why?”

“I’m uhh… moving to my own quarters,” Dani said, hesitantly.

“... Why?”

“I... uhhh... just wanted to give you your own space and privacy.”

“Why?” Grace asked again. She knew part of her probably sounded like a stupid broken record, but she was beyond stunned.

“Oh, Grace, I know you, you would never ask for it yourself. You’re the most selfless person I know and you’re always putting the needs of the resistance ahead of your own, but you deserve your own place.”

“No, I don’t! I mean… I don’t want my own place. I never asked for this, Dani! Why would you just assume this was what I wanted?” Grace said, angrily.

“You’re twenty-four, Grace. You have needs such as privacy and space and I just want you to have as normal a life as possible in this godforsaken world.”

“I don’t need privacy! How could you not even talk to me first about this?” Grace asked.

“Look, Grace, I really appreciate you having been so patient and staying in our cramped little quarters for so long. You’ve never once complained, and I’m happy to give this to you. I want to give this to you. You deserve it,” Dani said, putting her hand on Grace’s arm and smiling at her.

Grace felt like she was in the friggin’ twilight zone. What the hell?! “I thought we had a good thing going, Dani. What’s changed?!”

“It’s just time, Grace. I mean, we can’t be Bert and Ernie forever.”

“Who?!”

Dani sighed. “Never mind. That’s not important. Look, Grace, I don’t know why you’re so upset. I’d imagine you’d be thrilled to have a place of your own. You can bring friends over, that sort of thing.”

“I can bring friends over now,” Grace argued.

“Yes, but none actually come over unless I’m away on a mission. Let's face it, people are often uncomfortable with me around simply for who I am.”

“I don’t care, I’d rather just have a quiet night here with you,” Grace said.

“And what if you wanted to bring someone back with you… in a romantic sense? I’d just be in the way,” Dani said.

“I swear, Dani, you’re making less and less sense. Who the hell would I bring home?” Grace said, throwing her hands up in frustration.

“Never mind. My point is-”

“Commander?” a man at the door interrupted. “We have the trolley ready for you here. Just let us know when you’re ready.”

“You’re moving out tonight?!” Grace practically yelled.

“I had some time, I figured why waste it?” Dani said. 

“Are you mad at me for something?” Grace asked.

“Don’t be ridiculous.”

  
  
“Then what is it? I just don't get why you're doing this to me?!”

“I'm not doing this to you. I'm doing this _for_ you. I knew you wouldn’t agree to it out of your own selflessness and-”

“Damn right! Why would you take up another room on the base unless you don’t want to live with me anymore? Is that it, Dani? You don’t want me around? Is it something I’ve done?” Grace said, realizing her voice was cracking trying to hold back her tears.

“Grace, I’ll always be here for you. I’ll just be on the floor above. You can come visit me anytime.”

But Grace was so angry she could no longer even look at Dani. She was just so hurt. She was hanging on by a thread. She rushed out and went straight to her room and shut the door behind her. Her entire world had just been flipped on its head! How did they go from being so content to no longer living together? Grace tried to clear the lump in her throat, but the tears burst forth like water from a dam anyway. Damn Dani! If she’d rather not have Grace in her life, then Grace didn’t need her in hers.

**A week later**

That was easier said than done. Grace missed Dani terribly. She’d slept the last three nights on her old roommate, Simon’s couch. She just couldn’t stand to come home to such empty quarters and not see Dani’s things around. She missed hearing Dani’s voice. She missed their teasing each other, the games they played, them doing chores side by side, the meals they shared, their evening story time. Grace hadn’t picked up the novel they were reading since Dani had left. It hurt so much to even look at the torn-up book.

Grace’s thoughts were jarringly interrupted as she found herself thrown on the ground, flat on her back. A huge oomph left her lungs. Oh right, she had been in the middle of a sparring session with some enthusiastic up and coming private whose name she couldn’t be bothered to remember. She’d been on autopilot, her mind barely registered what happened.

“Are you okay, lieutenant?” the young private asked her, offering her a hand.

“Umm, yeah, you just caught me off guard. Umm… good job,” Grace said, sheepishly, embarrassed she’d been caught woolgathering.

“Alright, that’s enough,” Major Carter said from the sidelines. “Private Madison, go ahead and hit the showers. Lieutenant, a word, please?”

Grace nodded, getting off the mat and walking towards Major Carter. “Yes, Major?”

“What’s going on with you? You seem uncharacteristically distracted. You have been for the last few days I noticed. Everything okay?” Major Carter asked.

“Yeah, I just…” Grace wasn’t sure what to say, there really was no reason that a green private should have been able to take her down so easily.

“Look, Grace, I’m not the type to butt in where I’m not wanted…. But, whatever’s going on between you and the commander, well, you have to address it. Off the record, I’m saying this as your friend, but the commander has been very distracted and off her game as well.”

“Really?” Grace asked.

“Yeah, really. And quite frankly, this distraction that you’re both suffering from could end up killing one or both of you on a mission. Please, whatever it is… deal with it,” Major Carter said.

As embarrassed as she was that Major Carter seemed to suspect her feelings for the commander, she knew she was right. She couldn’t let the state of things continue on as they have. For her own sanity, if not her safety.

“Thank you, Major,” Grace said.

**That evening**

After returning from a brief reconnaissance mission that she had been tapped to fly, Grace went straight to Dani’s quarters. She looked at the clock and realized it was almost 11pm at night, but she didn’t care. She needed to see Dani. She needed to hash things out once and for all.

After Grace had gotten over her initial hurt, she began to think more clearly and realized that things just weren't adding up. Did Dani begin to suspect Grace’s feelings for her? If that was the case, it hurt that Dani decided to get away rather than just be up front with her that she might not return her feelings. But despite what Dani said that she’d always be there for her, she’d actually been pretty AWOL. And Grace would rather have Dani as a friend than not at all.

And Grace was very determined to confront Dani. She couldn't lose her. Not for anything in the world. That outcome was quite simply, unacceptable. She would tell Dani everything, and if Dani didn’t feel the same way, which it was looking more and more like that was the case, then at least there wouldn’t be any secrets between them. It was probably going to be like ripping a bandage off. Painful, but quick. Then they could move on with their lives and leave this last horrible week behind them.

Grace knocked on Dani’s quarters. She knocked a few times but there was no answer. She knocked harder for several more seconds. She was about to give up when the door opened. Dani’s tiny frame filled the doorway. Her hair was in disarray. Her pyjamas were slightly askew with half of her shirt untucked. She only had one sock on. She’d obviously seen better days. Lord, Dani was beautiful. Her pulsed pounded harder.

“What are you doing here, Grace?” Dani asked.

Grace blinked at her curt tone. Not exactly the _you-can-come-visit-me-anytime_ welcome she’d promised. Her confidence fell a little.

“Can I come in?” Grace asked.

“Sure,” Dani said. 

Grace followed her into the cramped space with mounting nervousness. Dani simply just radiated coldness. The last word she’d ever thought she’d use to describe Dani was _cold_. But here she was anyway. Her usual steady warmth was missing. Grace would have felt more comfortable with a terminator at that moment, quite frankly.

Grace wasn’t sure where to start. She licked her lips, and glanced blindly around the spartan room. She looked around and noticed that even after a week, Dani still hadn't unpacked. Her boxes remained taped closed. The room was pretty much empty save for a pallet on the middle of the floor. A bottle of what appeared to be moonshine and a book lay on the floor beside it. Fighting nerves, she peered down at the title.

“1984. Cheerful choice,” she said.

“It suited my mood.”

When Dani didn’t elaborate, she said awkwardly, “I haven’t seen you around the base much, if I didn’t know any better, I’d think you were avoiding me.”

Dani just shrugged. “Why are you here, Grace?”

“I… I wanted to talk.”

What was going on behind those chocolate brown eyes? Grace had gotten accustomed to interpreting Dani’s many expressions, yet at the moment, she couldn’t read her at all.

“What did you want to talk about?” Dani asked.

“There were a few things I wanted to discuss…. About our relationship.”

Dani’s jaws seemed to clench, then relaxed. “You’re right. Let’s finish it, then.”

_Finish it?_ What did she mean by that?

Grace swallowed then looked back at the moonshine on the floor. “Have you had much to drink tonight?”

“Not nearly enough.” The bitterness in Dani’s smile – so foreign to Grace – caused her heart to squeeze. “So, what did you want to say?”

“I uhh-"

"Let me guess, you want to introduce your new girlfriend to me?”

Grace wondered if she missed something. “Umm… what? who?”

“Your new love, or maybe you’ve been together longer than I’ve thought. Your maybe-not-so-new-love, then?”

“Dani, I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

“Marcella O’Neal.”

"Wait, what?"

Had Dani seen that incident in the change room?! There was no other reason for her to suspect something was going on with Grace and Marcella otherwise. Grace hadn’t even seen her former friend since that day. Dear God, that explained so much. Was Dani jealous? Why hadn’t she just mentioned it to begin with? 

“Dani, there’s nothing going on between me and… well, anyone!” Grace said. “Did you see me and Marcella in the change room that day?”

“Yup.”

“How much did you see?” Grace asked.

“More than enough.”

“Well, you should have looked a second longer, because you would have seen me push Marcella away. She came onto me unexpectedly. I didn’t welcome it.”

“You don’t owe me an explanation, Grace,” Dani said, waving her hand in the air.

Everything fell into place for Grace at that moment. It was like the last piece of a jigsaw puzzle fitting perfectly in place, completing the picture. Dani was jealous. This was an unexpected turn of events that Grace had not planned for. She looked at Dani… really looked at her. And she ached fiercely for the hurt she saw in Dani’s beautiful eyes. She recalled the courage and innate dignity that Dani always carried herself with. This woman before her had given her so much – a loving home, her confidence, her very life back – with no expectation of receiving anything in return. On a flash of insight, Grace realized she was dealing with a very wounded Dani. She felt a feeling of love swell within her… so much love.

“I need to explain something to you, Dani,” Grace said.

“Please… don’t,” Dani practically pleaded. “I’m sorry for the way I treated you, Grace. I really am. And I know you probably don’t understand, but I just couldn’t handle the thought of you being with someone else.”

“And why is that?”

“Because it forces me to accept that what I want isn't possible.”

“And what is it that you want?” Grace asked.

"It doesn't matter."

"It does to me."

“Please, Grace, just give me some time. This is just something I need to resolve on my own." 

"Dani, I'm going to ask you a question and I need you to be honest with me." Dani nodded. "Do you love me? Not just as a friend. But are you in love with me?"

Dani nodded, tears pooling in her eyes. "Oh, Grace, I do want your happiness. I know it doesn’t seem like it now… And it probably won’t seem like it for a long time. But if your happiness lies with Lieutenant O’Neal, then you have my blessings. Just forgive me if I can’t stand to see it with my own eyes just yet.”

“Wow, you know you could have spared us both a ton of heartache if you’d just told me this the moment you spied me with Marcella in that change room.”

“I wasn’t spying,” Dani said, indignantly. 

Grace chuckled sadly. “What if I were to tell you that your happiness and mine are one and the same?”

Dani just stared at her. “What are you saying?”

Grace took Dani’s hands and pulled her closer. She then gently raised Dani’s chin with her finger, so she’d look up at her. 

“I love you, Dani. I fell in love with you so long ago, I don’t even know when it happened.” It was strange how she’d held onto those words with such trepidation; now they left her lips with no hesitation at all. With nothing but a rush of liberation and joy.

“I love you so very much, Dani,” Grace said steadily, “and if you’ll have me, I promise to spend the rest of my days proving that to you. I swear, you’ll never regret it.”

Dani just stared at her, obviously stunned speechless. Finally, her senses seemed to return. “My god…. What have I done?!” Dani said, laughing through her tears.

“Umm… you packed all your stuff for nothing?” Grace said, laughing with her. 

“You really mean it, Grace?” Dani asked, obviously still somewhat stunned by Grace’s confession.

“Do you have any idea how much I need you, Dani?” she said, her voice breaking just a little. “I need to fall asleep with you each night. I need to wake up with you beside me. I need your advice, although I won’t always follow it. I need to share your laughter and your troubles. But most of all, Dani, I need you to love me as much as I love you.”

Suddenly, Dani was in her arms. Grace was in heaven. Her lips claimed Dani’s in a kiss of pure possession. She almost sobbed in relief. The misery she endured the last week was instantly replaced with unadulterated joy. Dani clung to her, meeting her hunger with her own, wrapping her arms around her neck, needing to be as close to her in body as she was in heart.

Engrossed in the moment, Grace began divesting Dani of her clothes with Dani doing the same for her. They both fell on the pallet on the floor, passionately wrapped in each other. Grace lifted her head, admiring a very beautiful, very naked Dani beneath her. She licked her lips and leaned closer to her, her muscles going rigid in anticipation of their first time.

Her mouth closed around Dani’s breast causing her to gasp and to arch forward. She casually licked the hardened bud, loving the sounds coming from her lover. She then felt Dani’s hands divesting her of her pants which were the last of her clothing. She felt Dani’s fingers searching lower and lower, finding the right spot. And Grace moaned when Dani found her wetness and started circling her bundle of nerves. The sensation almost made her brain short-circuit.

After several sweet and agonizing minutes, Grace put a stop to Dani’s ministrations. She wanted Dani to come first. She kissed her way down Dani’s torso until she finally reached the short thatch of curls at her centre. She gently blew on the sensitive nub there causing Dani to moan. 

“Please, Grace,” Dani pleaded.

She didn’t have to be told twice. Grace’s tongue found Dani’s clit at the same time two of her fingers found Dani’s wet opening. She circled her tongue and found the sensitive spot inside Dani. A steady but increasing rhythm soon had Dani close to the edge. Grace could feel her fingers being clenched, Dani’s nub throbbing between her lips. One, two, three more swipes, and Dani’s spine bowed, her hands clenching Grace’s hair, almost to the point of pain. A cry tore from Dani’s throat and Grace revelled in her orgasm. 

After Dani came down from her high, Grace just smiled at her from between her legs, Dani’s juice still on her lips. Dani pulled her back up and kissed her thoroughly, tasting her own essence on her lover’s lips. 

“Now, it’s your turn,” Dani said, mischievously. 

Dani moved on top of Grace. She started by titillating her nipple with wet flicks of her tongue. She kept an accompanying rhythm on her other breast, her fingers circling, pinching with just enough pressure to drive her mad. Grace moaned at the sweetness of the sensation.

“Don’t stop… Please, don’t stop,” Grace gasped.

“I’m not going anywhere, mi amor.” Even Dani’s voice aroused her, the shape of her words pressed against her taut, throbbing peak. Dani’s hand left one of her breasts and made her way down, her thumb finding Grace’s clit. Two fingers entered her, and a rhythm was set. And the wildness grew in Grace to a feverish pitch. Her skin seemed afire, wet heat blazing from her core as Dani’s mouth left her breast and kissed her way down the path between her ribcage.

Her tongue dipped into her navel, then continued to move its way down. Her lungs struggled for air. Dani’s lips touched the inside of her thigh, and the branding kiss drove a gasp from her lips.

“You like that?” Dani asked.

Grace could only nod. “More, please…”

Grace bit back a cry as Dani’s tongue replaced her thumb on her clit and she pushed one more finger inside Grace, stretching her even further. Grace looked down between her legs and saw Dani pause to look up at her. The look of dark hunger on her features aroused her almost beyond her control, and her sex grew even wetter.

Dani went back down to her ministrations and the first swipe of her tongue made Grace gasp. The second had her spine arching off the pallet. Dear God, she’d never felt anything like it…. Her mind blanked as pure sensation swamped her. She became nothing but the tides of pleasure rolling over her senses.

“God, Grace, I love the way you taste,” Dani said between licks.

As if to prove her point, Dani pulled her fingers from inside Grace and tongued her slit, thrusting deeply inside her throbbing folds. Her hips bucked, bliss stealing her breath. Her vision wavered as the sensations mounted. She was close, so close…

“Dani,” she gasped, “I’m going to… to…”

“Let go, mi amor,” Dani said.

Grace screamed as waves of shocking heat passed through her. Her head flung back as her orgasm hit. It was pulse after pulse of pure delight. It was like nothing she’d known before. As Grace came down from her high, her last thoughts were that she’d never dreamed it could be this amazing. 

Dani had no idea how much time had passed when she awoke to find Grace leaning on her hand, her elbow on the pallet just watching her. They’d made love twice more that night. Their need for each other insatiable. 

“Why are you just staring at me?” Dani asked.

“Can’t I stare at the woman I love?” Grace asked, smiling, complete contentment on her face.

“You could always stare at me later. It’s 4am, get some sleep,” Dani said.

“I’m too happy to sleep,” Grace said.

Dani understood the feeling all too well and just smiled. She was still drowsed and worn out by all the climaxes Grace had given her. Soon, her lashes started fluttering. Her eyelids began feeling heavier and heavier. With her eyes closed, she felt a light kiss on her lips.

“Sleep, my love. You’ll need your rest,” Grace whispered.

Dani thought she was referring to more sex. “You’re insatiable, Grace,” Dani said, giggling drowsily.

“I am that… but I was referring to all the moving we'll need to do,” Grace said.

“Huh?”

“That’s right, this would have all been a lot more comfortable at our place.”

Dani just laughed. It was true. “Okay, okay, sheesh, a person makes one mistake…”

“Oh, I’ll never let you live this one down,” Grace said, playfully kissing Dani on the nose.

“Yeah, yeah,” Dani said, good naturedly. 

After several minutes of just lying comfortably in each other’s arms, Dani had almost fallen back asleep when Grace broke the silence. 

“Hey Dani…”

“Si?”

“Who are Bert and Ernie?”

And Dani just laughed.

**Author’s Notes:** Thank you for all the kind words (and words of frustration) you guys gave me on my last fic, Distance of Misunderstanding. It made me get this sequel out all the quicker for you. I hope it wasn’t a letdown. If you guys have any ideas for me or just want to drop me a msg, e-mail me at kooky.krumbs@yahoo.com 


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